SHIFTING TEETH????

garyland · Post by **garyland** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 11:21 am

This may sound strange but after using my CPAP mask for 9 months, my front top teeth seem to have shifted ever so slightly changing my bit a little. Has anyone ever experienced this?

Gary

ConnecticutCat · Post by **ConnecticutCat** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:34 pm

During the first few months of treatment (I started July 2005) I felt like I was waking up with moved / misaligned teeth. It would go away a few hours after waking up. I asked my dentist about it the next time I saw him - I wish I could remember exactly what he said, but he said is was something like "muscle memory" and that my teeth were not moving. That feeling went away after about 3 months and I have not noticed anything different about my teeth since.

Bonnie · Post by **Bonnie** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 2:30 pm

I had the same thing when I first stared using the Swift. I really thought my teeth were loosening. I'd wake up with sore teeth and swear they moved. I talked with my dentist when I went in for a cleaning and he assured me my teeth were tight and he too had an explanation. I was so relieved that my teeth were ok that I don't remember what he said. Since I have found that happy medium of how snug to keep my mask I have to believe that part of it was I had it too tight.

gary bankston · Post by **gary bankston** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 3:23 pm

Can't say I've noticed shifting teeth, but when I do use my cpap machine (and I don't use it all the time), it sure screws up my eyes for a few hours.

So I don't die from sleep apnea at night, but I chance driving crosseyed to work every day, adding to the risk factor of dying from something. So which is worse, shifting teeth, shifting eyes, or sleep apnea?

dataq1 · Post by **dataq1** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:21 pm

My Dentist said that it was very possible that the pressure from the mask (I was using resmed ultramirage small) could cause pain, discomfort and a temporary feeling of loosening. This was particularily true if the mask shifted upward during the night.
I have subsequently changed to a fisher mask, it seems to have a nice pocket for my chin (part of the mask rests under the chin) that functions for me in two ways, 1) helps me keep my mouth from opening and 2) cannot shift upward so that the gasket in pressing on the lower teeth.
Back to the dentist.... said same mechanism is used with a child's retainer, that is repositions the teeth.
That's my comment

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:54 pm

Hmm . . ., I can only hope that it pushes my upper front teeth back. Sigh . . .

Regards,
Bill

Ric · Post by **Ric** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:05 pm

Nighthawkeye wrote:Hmm . . ., I can only hope that it pushes my upper front teeth back. Sigh . . .

Just one more unexpected benefit of xPAP

Next question, for you FF maskers, do you feel your chin receding?
(I don't even want to think about it.)

chdurie2 · Post by **chdurie2** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:10 pm

my teeth are always shifting, unfortunately. i have bad gums. don't know about the chin, but i was hoping cpap might get rid of the bags under my eyes, which i think are water pockets caused by age. i don't quite know what i'm saying.

caroline

chdurie2 · Post by **chdurie2** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:13 pm

ric:

don't know about making chin recede, but if you have UMFF, you can vary the pressure on your chin by moving the nose adjustment piece--the straighter, the less pressure on your chin; the most crooked, the most pressure on your chin. i do the crooked route because i'm desperate for a good mouth seal and don't have much chin.

don't know if that helped. guess you were jesting.

caroline

binasr · Post by **binasr** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:14 pm

You can't imagine how happy I was to hear that you'd noticed shifting teeth too! I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in August of 2004. Within the first week of using the cpap machine, I began complaining to the doctors at the sleep study center and the staff at the medical supply company, that my teeth, jaws, and tongue were hurting. I live in Seattle, and am a patient at a major sleep center here, but no one at the offices had ever heard of this type of pain. I was given many different masks, and none of them made any difference, but I got lucky because the pain went away with in first month....or so I thought.

By October of 2005 I noticed there was a space between my two front teeth. I said nothing to anyone because I wanted to see if others noticed. Within two weeks my sister asked me what happened to my front teeth, and my father who I hadn't seen in a year noticed it upon greeting me! Needless to say it's obvious. Now, in April of 2006 I have the following issues: a larger space between my two front teeth, my front five bottom teeth now have large visible spaces between them, and my overbite has been pushed forward to the point that you can see directly into my mouth, I kid you not!

As far as my tongue, I found out the reason it's hurting is because my tongue is pushed forward by the 22 psi airflow that I require, and because I don't have enough room in my mouth, the sides of my tongue go between my top and bottom teeth and I bite it all night long. Good times!

I also should say that I'm 37, and have had regular dental care throughout my life. My teeth and gums are in perfect health, and I've never even had a cavity. I've also never had braces, but I have always had a medium sized overbite. I was told as a teenager, that the reason I have an overbite is due to a "forceful tongue". This means my tongue pushes on my teeth in my sleep because there's not enough room in my mouth. I went to an orthodontist when I was 27, and he told me I'd need to have my jaw broken in four places to have create enough room for my tongue, have it wired shut for 6 weeks, and then have braces. I thought he was crazy, but now I'm considering it!

I've been to several doctors, and they all say they've never heard of such a thing, I can't find a dentist that specializes in sleep apnea patient's dental issues, and am at a complete loss about what to do. They say they've never seen it, but I've got the "before" pictures to prove what I used to look like, and it's not this! However, I will say that although I'm now both gap and buck toothed, I love my cpap machine and never go to sleep without it!

I wish you the best of luck!

_________________

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Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 7:25 pm

I can't say I've noticed any shifting, but I have wondered if the constant pressure from the nasal interface on my upper lift would move my teeth. When you think about it, it really isn't all that different than the pressure a retainer or braces would put on your teeth (is it?)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 8:39 pm

I too noticed sore gums in the mornings. Unfortunately I ignored it for a long time and my teeth did shift. It was caused by tongue thrust. Pushed my front upper and lower teeth outward. Went to an orthodontist and he made me retainers for upper and lower teeth. Wear them every night. Wish I would have done it a lot sooner!

Ellen · Post by **Ellen** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 4:57 pm

I just started AutoCPAP barely 1 month ago. Started with an UM11FF mask and adjusted it every way I could figure - even when I could get a pretty good seal, I could feel my chin recede and by AM, jaw was hurting.....

I actually felt that that particular ff mask wasn't the one for me!!!

I think NightHawkEye also posted something about this within the past week.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 5:49 pm

Indeed! It seems though that lots of folks have TMJ issues. With me, the FFM actually induced apneas. For others, it's just TMJ pain and such.

Have you switched to using another mask yet Ellen?

Regards,
Bill

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 7:19 pm

For those who many not be aware of it already, not all masks have a tendency to push on the upper front teeth, though many do. I don't think any of the full-face masks push on the upper front teeth.

Of the three nasal masks I have, the only one which doesn't apply some pressure in the area of the upper front teeth is the pillows interface for the new Respironics ComfortLite 2 mask. This is because it drops down from the forehead and if adjusted properly exerts no force to the area of the teeth.

Some of the other pillows interfaces appear to operate similarly.

Regards,
Bill

SHIFTING TEETH????

By wearing a mask, do you feel your teeth have moved at all?

SHIFTING TEETH????

Shifting teeth

My teeth ARE shifting!

chin receding with ff mask

Mask

Additional Comments: Large mask collection

Mask

Additional Comments: Large mask collection